"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him.
There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
My mama was the cold North wind,
My daddy was the son, of a railroad man from west of hell,
Where the trains don't even run...
Never heard the whistle of a southbound freight,
Or the singing of it's driving wheel,
No I, never did not wanderin'
Never did not wanderin'
Never did not wanderin' after all.
They say the highways' just one big road,
And it goes from here to there,
And they say you carry a heavy load,
When you're rolling down the line somewhere...
Never seen the dance of the telephone poles,
As they go whizzin' by,
No I, never did no wanderin'
Never did no wanderin'
Never did no wanderin' after all.
Never did no wanderin'... high!
Never did no wanderin'... low!
Now a sailor's life is a life for him,
But it never was for me,
And I never soared where the hawk may soar,
Or see what the hawk might see,
Never hiked to heaven on a mountain trail,
Never rode on a river's rage...
No I, never did no wanderin'
Never did no wanderin'
Never did no wanderin' after all.
Never did no wanderin'
Never did no wanderin'
Never did no wanderin' after all.
Never did no wanderin' ...after ......all.
My daddy was the son, of a railroad man from west of hell,
Where the trains don't even run...
Never heard the whistle of a southbound freight,
Or the singing of it's driving wheel,
No I, never did not wanderin'
Never did not wanderin'
Never did not wanderin' after all.
They say the highways' just one big road,
And it goes from here to there,
And they say you carry a heavy load,
When you're rolling down the line somewhere...
Never seen the dance of the telephone poles,
As they go whizzin' by,
No I, never did no wanderin'
Never did no wanderin'
Never did no wanderin' after all.
Never did no wanderin'... high!
Never did no wanderin'... low!
Now a sailor's life is a life for him,
But it never was for me,
And I never soared where the hawk may soar,
Or see what the hawk might see,
Never hiked to heaven on a mountain trail,
Never rode on a river's rage...
No I, never did no wanderin'
Never did no wanderin'
Never did no wanderin' after all.
Never did no wanderin'
Never did no wanderin'
Never did no wanderin' after all.
Never did no wanderin' ...after ......all.
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Fast Car
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Page
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